autodesk Revit : New Layout

autodesk Revit : pre-rendering

The Comfort Zone

To find the comfort level of a chair is virtually impossible without actually sitting in it.  Attempting to meet all variables and possible conditions for the billions of human  configurations that exist can be challenging. However, once you've determined the end user then specifications should be based on the skeletal make up.  I've decided that my chair will be constructed for an average size adult, however, some components will be slightly larger to exaggerate special features of the design.  There are established formulas / criteria that have been predetermined by chair experts that designers can follow to ensure that the intended user will find some degree of comfort based on the human's skeletal system.  In my research I've found that based on the average adult I should consider the following when dimensioning my chair for comfort:

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First, the seat

A) For the occupant's feet to rest flat on the floor with a knee angle of 90–100°, locate the seat 16–18" above the floor. If the chair will have a cushion, account for its compressed thickness in the seat height by subtracting half the cushion's thickness.

B) To allow clearance between the seat's front edge and the occupant's legs, make the seat 15–18" deep.

C) Aim for a seat width of 16–20". Depending on the chair's style and your preference, you can taper the seat 2–3" from front to back (1–1-1/2" per side). A wider front provides more leg room while a narrower back allows a little more elbow room.

D) For added comfort, particularly when the chair will not have a cushion, slope the seat 5–8° from front to back. This also helps keep the occupant from sliding forward. For an office or desk chair, though, it's best to forget the slope as a flat seat facilitates leaning forward.

Now, the back

E) To give lower-back support without interfering with the shoulders, plan for a back height of 12–16" above the seat for a casual chair and 20" (typical) for a formal chair.

F) Slant the back up to 5° for a formal chair and up to 15° for a casual chair. Keep in mind, though, that as the back angle increases, you need to up the seat angle (to maintain the seat-to-back angle between 90° and 100°) to prevent forward sliding and lower the seat height to keep the front edge of the seat from contacting the back of the legs.

G) To give "rear" clearance for hind parts, leave 3" of open space between the top of the seat and bottom of the lower backrest, or curve out the lower 4–8" of the backrest.

Finally, the armrests

H) For the armrests to support the forearms without elevating the shoulders, position them 7–9" above the seat. Be sure to check the table-apron height when determining the armrest height so the arms will slide under the apron.

I, J, K) Make armrests a minimum of 8" long, 2" wide, and spaced approximately 19" apart."

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/must-have-measurements-for-comfortable-seating/

comfort analysis

sketch-up

Final Presentation Boards

Competition Overview & Objectives

Overview:

The All American House is a project of MADE: In America, a non-profit educational organization based in Washington, D.C. in collaboration with historic Woodlawn, the first National Trust for Historic Preservation property.

The All American House student design competition was developed to provide students an unprecedented educational opportunity. Participants will have access to leading subject matter authorities who will help them apply their theoretical design knowledge to create rooms in one of America’s most historical and architecturally significant properties. Students will be provided access to a network of leaders in the interior design community; furniture and textile executives; curators, archivists and scholars involved in historic preservation; shelter media executives and leading showroom professionals. The show house will be widely publicized and prominent figures from across the Nation invited to a series of special events and programs. Participating students will benefit from a level of publicity enjoyed by only the few most noted designers in the United States. It is also an ideal platform for participating schools to showcase their interior design programs.   

Woodlawn is a gracious 126-acre estate that was originally part of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The main Federal-style house was designed by the architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton, and constructed between 1800 and 1805 for Washington’s nephew Major Lawrence Lewis and his bride, Eleanor “Nelly” Custis Lewis. Mrs. Lewis was Martha Washington’s granddaughter, raised at Mount Vernon by the Washingtons.During the Lewis’ years in residence, Woodlawn comprised over 2,000 acres.

In 1846, the Lewis’s son sold the property to two families from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Troths and the Gillinghams. By the turn of the 20th century, Woodlawn was sadly deteriorated and, in 1896, severely damaged by a hurricane. In 1901, the playwright Paul Kester moved in — with his mother, brother and 60 cats — and began “restoring” the house to livable conditions. In 1905, Kester moved on to nearby Gunston Hall, and sold Woodlawn to Miss Elizabeth Sharpe, a Pennsylvania coal heiress who spent two decades lovingly rehabilitating Woodlawn. Woodlawn’s final private owners were Senator and Mrs. Oscar Underwood. Following Mrs. Underwood’s death, it was purchased by a private organization to ensure its preservation. In 1952, Woodlawn became the first historic site operated by The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Objectives:

American designers of the 21^st century will be incorporating a far wider range of cultural traditions in their work than their predecessors. The initiative is intended to encourage the fusion of these varied traditions into a modern aesthetic that builds upon and enhances the elements of classic American design.

The Student Design House will be a three dimensional, hands-on interpretive program that reflects the evolution of the American interior design field. Working with award winning manufacturers and veteran designers, students will create contemporary rooms that respect and enhance Woodlawn’s traditional architectural details appropriate to modern living. Companies and pieces selected to for each of the rooms will represent the finest in their product categories.

The All American House is the first of its kind competition in the Nation. Students, individually and/or in teams will be tasked with transforming a National Trust property into a modern American home. A home that will ignite interest in American design and products, and one that will serve as a template for engaging visitors to historic properties nationwide.

The goal of the project is to cultivate in the next generation an appreciation of our architectural heritage and to inspire young designers to create a distinctly American interior design aesthetic.